Greetings fellow adventurers –
That’s what life is, right? Helen Keller taught us that “life is either an epic adventure, or it’s nothing at all.”
How has your adventure been going? Feeling stuck in the mud or like you have a flat tire? Have you been surrounded by elephants or mugged by baboons? Or have you had views like the Ngorongoro Crater or the sunset over Lake Ihema?
Those of you who have been around The Safari Way for a while know that one of our core perspectives is that life is an adventure, filled with ups and downs, highs and lows, knowns and unknowns. This is the very nature of safari – and it’s the very nature of the human experience – and every area of life.
This is what it means to be human.
And I hate to be a spoiler but the ups and downs will continue, which leaves us with a choice.
We can continue to feel like life should only be filled with positive things, meaning we grow in anger, bitterness, and entitlement when things don’t go our way, ultimately leading to becoming frustrated and unhappy, wondering why the world is conspiring against us and why those around us have started becoming more distant.
Or we can recognize that the ups and downs are a natural part of our human experience, and that this is what it means to be human. Those who can do this start to view their life as an epic adventure, like everything we go through is a chapter of our book, a scene from our movie.
Yeah, the tough stuff in life sucks, but it is part of our experience.
And when we start to resent so much of our life, we start to lose the value we place on life – the magnificence of being able to wake up in the morning, to breathe the winter air, to watch the grass start to turn green in the spring, to have a conversation, to laugh and cheer, and even the beauty of being able to work – the ability to use what we know and what we can do into income that we use to provide food, shelter, and transportation.
The human experience is an epic adventure: filled with ups and downs.
My invitation is to take in the view of your entire life and see it as this great safari adventure, rather than only focusing our energy on the negative and taking the positive for granted.
Because guess what – your life experience, including all your negative stuff, is unique to you.
I’m sorry for it – but what is not unique is the fact that you have negative stuff; we all have it – and it comes in seasons and seems to come in waves.
What we can control is the weight we give it and our perspective toward it.
The challenge I give myself, my audiences, and you, is to start to view your life more broadly, like an epic adventure, and give the challenges their proper weight within the overall view of your life.
Manage them, deal with them, handle them… but don’t diminish your life to only be defined by them.
Since my last newsletter, there have been many more events and many more of you have decided that connecting with The Safari Way can help you in your life, work, or leadership.
So, welcome, to all who have jumped in the jeep during my recent events!
March 5 – Des Moines, IA
March 6 – Fairfield, IA
March 7 – Des Moines, IA
March 14 – LaCrosse, WI
March 20 – New Ulm, MN
March 22 – St. Cloud, MN
April 2 – Coralville, IA
April 3 – Fairmont, NE
April 4 – Altoona, IA
And I’m excited to pick up some need peeps in upcoming stops in April:
April 10 – St. Cloud, MN
April 11 – Ely, MN
April 16 – Sioux Falls, SD
April 19 – Cambridge, MN
April 24 – Des Moines, IA
April 25 – Des Moines, IA
April 26 – Wausau, WI
May 15 – Plover, WI
I met many of you at speaking events – we connected, you shared feedback, you bought the book, or perhaps some other way we found each other. And some of you I have known quite a long time!
Either way, my question for you is this – are you living the safari way?
If so, I would love to hear – and if not, I would love to help.
Drop me a line either way and let’s stay connected. We are now peeps in each other’s jeeps; so maybe it’s time to sit a little closer to each other.
Again, I want to thank everyone who has been on this journey with me, supporting both my new book and my speaking endeavors.
Your encouragement has played a vital role in allowing me to share my message and inspire others. Thanks for being a part of the story, and for allowing me to be a part of yours!
Sincerely,
Steve Fredlund,
The Safari Dude
Life is an adventure. Make it epic.
Shoot me an email, connect on LinkedIn, subscribe on YouTube, consider coaching, find me at a conference, or whatever makes sense in your world.
About The Author
Steve Fredlund is The Safari Dude. As a professional actuary in human resources analytics, he uncovered surprising factors that enhance employee engagement, and work enjoyment; key elements for effectiveness, enhanced retention, productivity, and organizational success.
Minnesota to Rwanda, nonprofit to corporate, start-ups to Fortune 500 companies he brings to your event thirty years of leadership success. Steve’s personal safari mission is to help great leaders and their teams enjoy an epic safari by getting the right peeps in their jeeps and in the right seats.
